Spying allegation: Swedish envoy found dead in Stockholm

A Swedish diplomat arrested over the weekend in Stockholm on charges of spying and released days later has been found dead, media reported yesterday, with the foreign ministry confirming an employee had died.

The Swedish Security Service (Sapo) on Monday announced the arrest, but gave no details about the case or the suspect's identity. The following day, broadcaster SVT said the man arrested was a top diplomat.

On Wednesday, prosecutors released him from custody but said that he was still a suspect.

"We regret to confirm that a member of the foreign service has died. Out of consideration for the next of kin, we will not go into further details," the foreign ministry said in a statement to AFP yesterday.

Newspaper Expressen meanwhile reported that the man who had been found dead overnight was the one detained suspected of spying.